Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has been released from prison on a Sh53 million bond, pending the hearing of his appeal against a February 2024 conviction in a Sh588 million graft case. High Court Judge Lucy Njuguna, who had previously rejected two bond applications, granted his release after allowing a fresh application that included new evidence and grounds of appeal.
Waititu had been serving a 12-year prison sentence or an alternative fine of Sh52.5 million after being found guilty of conflict of interest in relation to the multi-million shilling road construction tenders in Kiambu County during his tenure. The court also barred him from contesting any political office for seven years.
Alongside Waititu, his wife Susan Ndung’u was convicted and sentenced to a one-year jail term or a Sh500,000 fine. Their co-accused, Charles Chege, director of Testimony Enterprises Limited, received a nine-year prison sentence or a Sh295 million fine. Beth Wangeci, another company director, was fined Sh1 million or handed a one-year prison term.
The case centered on fraudulent procurement deals for the construction of roads, where Waititu was found to have influenced the awarding of tenders to entities linked to him and his family. While the court convicted the accused on corruption-related charges, it acquitted them on three counts of money laundering.
Waititu’s release now gives him the opportunity to argue his appeal as a free man, with the High Court expected to hear his amended petition in the coming months. The development marks a new twist in one of Kenya’s most high-profile graft cases involving a former county boss, highlighting the complexities of prosecuting corruption in the devolved units.
